Peach Tinted Spectacles
by Razcoolzle
Summary: He was the last thing she had expected, but in a strange, unfathomable way, he was better. MxP, LxD.
1. Chapter 1

All I could do was plant my face between my knees and clench my teeth against the pain of the cold, sharp metal wires entwined into the cage. It hurt. Bowser may have cared for me, but living his whole life with soft tissue buried beneath thick scales meant he hadn't quite grasped the concept of humane living standards.

My pretty dress was supposed to be some sort of publicity stunt. I liked frills, I liked pink and most of all I loved...cake. That was all I needed to attract the fine man who would come and rescue me; tall, dark and most importantly, handsome. It was the only way I could run my kingdom.

Sure the wires dug in like hell, but it would all be worth it when he defeated the beast with one fell swoop and took me swiftly off my feet.

More pain, more pity.

I felt a twinge of excitement rise in my stomach even as I watched the Koopa wait impatiently to pick a fight. He had roared with laughter as he locked the door to the hanging cage and now he looked as if he wished he'd done something more productive with his life.

He rolled his eyes up at me from the lava-surrounded podium, just to check that I hadn't made a break for it, grunted and then continued to stare blankly at the waves of heat swirling around the edges. It seemed that he was starting to wonder whether the whole thing had been a waste of time.

The Koopa's eyes had almost shut completely when a faint sound of panting crept its way above the noise of the rising bubbles.

Bowser's head quickly flicked up, as if he had been pulled out of a hypnotic trance. That certainly wasn't the sound of a goomba or any of Bowser's many other... pets.

The quiet murmur then rose to an audible voice. The beast knew in an instant to prepare himself, rising to his feet. All we could do was wait. I felt sick with anticipation, knowing that this could be the dashing man who would change my life; the man who could be my glamorous knight in shining armour; the man who would be...

My thoughts were stopped in their tracks as I watched an arm throw itself carelessly onto the top step of the podium. The gesture was accompanied by an exasperated gasp and another sigh to go with a second limb being hoisted up to the top.

There went my hopes of tall; perhaps dark and handsome still had a chance to shine.

I could only grimace at his ditch efforts to get his whole body onto solid, flat ground. Bowser raised an eyebrow as the figure heaved his body up and rolled onto his back.

Seeing that he made no effort to look anywhere else but the ceiling, I took my chance to admire the strange man. Perhaps admire was pushing it; I hadn't seen many human men before and I certainly hoped that this man was not a prime example. Bright blue overalls. There went dark, but I clung still to the hope for handsomeness.

Slowly, he turned his head to see what was in front of him. Bowser's look of confusion became more apparent; was this some kind of joke? Half lidded eyes could be seen above a large, round nose and underneath was something that looked like a...moustache? A sign of age for sure, I shuffled to the back of the cage. This didn't match the job description.

A part of me hoped that his short, stubby legs would not be able to outrun Bowser's flames. Then perhaps we could get the whole thing over with and move on. I hated the thought but I couldn't deny it was there. Man and creature eyed each other, both waiting for someone to make the first move. Bowser had done this a thousand times before with countless others, most of them I wished had made it. No, this wasn't the first time somebody had tried their luck against him and Bowser's sly smirk showed that he knew this wasn't going to be any different. The man, now on his feet, lowered his brow, beckoning to the beast.

Bowser raised his head and made the first attack with quiet confidence. The man eyed the incoming flaming projectile and without hesitation, hurdled it with impressive height. My previously doused excitement shot back up while I subconsciously cast myself to the front of the cage again.

Bowser grumbled. Deciding his opponent was slightly more worthwhile, he flung several consecutive fire balls only to have them narrowly avoided once more. Bowser's following growl was not one of satisfaction but of frustration, making him hurl his subsequent attacks like no tomorrow. The man's face looked slightly more panicked while he desperately attempted to steer himself out of harm's way. Most jumps now ended in a stumble and a hurried roll in order to slip underneath the next attack.

I could feel myself begin to sweat, not just sweat from the heat of the chamber but dread. I could sense Bowser's confidence rising as his rival looked as if he'd finally met his match. The move that came next was the one that only a few had survived to. Positive that he would finish the match, the monster bound into the air, positioning himself exactly so that he would crush the his opponent upon landing. The overall-clad figure's eyes widened with terror. He made a frantic effort to pick himself up in the knowledge that death was otherwise imminent.

Bowser's shadow grew larger and the split decision to make a run for it was all he had left. I closed my eyes, almost certain about what was going to happen next. After watching the little guy come so unexpectedly far, I had actually begun to root for him.

Silence fell. A tear rolled down my cheek. He was finished.

All of a sudden, a guttural roar tore through the air.

Tears turned into loud sobs when the room was plunged into silence yet again.

I sighed and calmly rested my head against the side of the cage. Someone else would come. I'd get out eventually...I just...needed to be patient.

"P...p...princess? Are you OK?"

I gasped and jerked my head up. The first thing I noticed was the bridge crossing over the lava. It was no longer there; only the faint noise of rubble crumbling off the nearby rocks was a sign that something had previously been suspended. A cough tore my stare away. The man who was supposed to be dead stood patiently underneath me, still breathing heavily.

Before I could speak the base of the cage swung open and by mere reflex, I opened up my parasol so I wouldn't do what Bowser had been trying to do the whole time.

Not sure whether to catch me or let me find my feet, he offered a hand which I took upon whim.

My head was buzzing with things to say. A man I'd never met had, after all, just randomly decided to rescue me.

"You're alive," I hesitated; realising how stupid I sounded,

"Just about", he breathed. That voice. It had a hint of something I didn't recognise.

I didn't have to say anything before he spoke again,

"I'm Mario, by the way." He smiled. Up close, his eyes appeared bright and cheerful; the same eyes that seemed tired and solemn from up high. A vivid red cap sat atop his head, seamless in its placement, as if he'd had it tailor made. Perhaps it was to give him a little extra height? He was a few inches shorter than me and a tad overweight, but not unpleasantly so.

I caught sight of the 'M' imprinted on his hat. Mario? I'd never heard a name like that before. It certainly wasn't native.

"You know," he raised an eyebrow, "I can still see my feet," his voice hit me again. I stepped backwards in shock, realising that I must've spent at least a minute inspecting him in silence.

"Oh...I...I didn't mean...I wasn't thinking..."

He chuckled, bringing on a small wave of relief, "Maybe if you kissed me, I'd turn into a handsome prince,"

I snorted at his remark, albeit against my will. Quickly covering my mouth, I stumbled backwards knowing that my act probably offended him. What possessed me to do such a thing?

To my surprise, his expression began glowing with amusement, "Princess, I should be the one apologising for the terrible jokes; I really shouldn't keep you here any longer!"

With a second burden of worry lifted off me, I allowed myself to laugh a little more.

A stern look passed his previous smile, as if something of interest had suddenly caught his eye. He gazed over to the other side of the bridge, his eyes wavering over the large gap.

"What is it?"

"Now the bridge is gone, how exactly are we going to get back?"

Oddly, that thought hadn't crossed my mind. I felt a rising sickness at the thought of having to stay on a tiny area of land in the middle of lava with a stranger.

We were both silent for a minute or so, looking around the environment for some way to get out. After considering every possible direction, I sighed and looked at the floor, wondering if Mario had thought of a solution.

"Princess?"

"Yes!" I felt my hope rising at his words.

"Err do you mind if I...well...carry you?"

Was he insane? Both of us couldn't get over by ourselves, let alone with the weight of another human being! Yet...his suggestion had a striking certainty behind it. Besides, I doubted that there was a second option, so I reluctantly agreed.

Mario held out his arms, but I walked around him instead and clambered onto his back. It must have come as a surprise to him, as he lost balance and staggered forward, trying to grab my legs before I slid off. I wasn't really into the whole bridal-style thing anyway.

His astonished look prompted an unrestrained giggle from me. I brought my mouth close to his ear, "Well? What are you waiting for?"

"What? Oh right! Yeah...er..."

Swamped by a sudden, playful urge, I kicked his sides gently with my feet, "Come on!"

"I'm not a horse!"

"You mean a Yoshi?"

"A what?"

"Look, do you want to stand here with me on your back until you die or do you want to get back home?"

No more words were needed before he sprung forward, forcing me to tighten my grip on his shoulders. His breath quickened again; after it took so long for him to catch it before, I almost felt sorry for him. However, he didn't seem to struggle under my weight which was fortunate for my self esteem.

We were about four meters away from the drop now and he began to gather all his energy into his legs, almost as if he were tightening a coil. He leaned so far forward I almost touched the ground. He obviously needed a lot of space to prepare himself, something that I found unnerving.

I squeezed my eyes shut. I could feel myself tipping off, ready to freefall into the depths below. My whole body lurched including my stomach. I wanted to let go but every inch of sanity I had left made me cling on for dear life. I had no idea where I was or what direction I was going in; all I knew was that I wasn't dead yet because of the most ridiculous man I'd ever met.

I felt the heat on my face subdue, slowly I opened my eyes to find out why. We were so high above the lava that I could barley detect its heat. Instead of fear, a feeling of euphoria at the sight quickly replaced it, something I hadn't experienced since I was just a small child. I was impressed at the height he had managed, to say the least.

I just wanted to smash through the castle and fly away. I took my hand off his shoulder briefly to reach for the ceiling but I was met with a slight disappointment when I saw it retreat upwards as we made our descent.

"Oh no..."

Mario definitely didn't sound as satisfied as I was. I gasped and turned my attention to the way we were heading.

I couldn't see the other side.

Oh no _indeed._

"I knew I should have taken Luigi's advice and gone on that DIIIEEEET!" he screamed as we plummeted towards the lava. His lack of confidence didn't help much in the situation. Who was Luigi anyway?

For Mario, this felt like the biggest mistake of his dramatically shortened life, for me, it was the perfect excuse to show him what I could do. Not that I wanted to impress him or anything.

With that, I reached down and grabbed his hand. He probably thought it was some kind of last goodbye. With the other hand I withdrew my trusty parasol. It whipped open on the updraft and we jerked backwards, Mario's arm nearly dislocating itself as he swung out from underneath me.

My grip on his hand intensified as his did on mine, and we drifted slowly across the remainder of the crevice. I could hear Mario panting with a mixture of shock and relief as we saw land come into view.

I dropped him about a meter above the floor and landed gently in front of him.

Mario gawped, "I...you..."

"This parasol has the ability to withstand any firearm and carry the weight of a double-decker bus, I'd say you match that."

He scowled. "Okay, sorry, I didn't get it quite right, no need to rub it in!"

"I didn't want an apology; I wanted you to thank me for saving your life."

"Hey I saved _your _life first!" he retorted.

"Pah, anyone could've done that."

"Well anyone could've saved my life with a...a..." he trailed off, defeated.

"Exactly!" I smiled. "Now let's head out shall we?"

As we made our way past the castle, Mario several paces behind me, we passed by the towering windows. Each was stained with a boastful depiction of King Bowser, glowing an intense flame red from his arrogant, laughing jaws. I also had the opportunity to see inside. Lava pits filled with flying podobos and various sinister-looking obstacles where scattered along the expansive space. I almost felt myself being watched by the angry eyes of the thwomps that hung ominously in mid-air. No wonder Mario had been so exhausted. How did Bowser even get around his castle?

An unexpected inclination lead me to swivel on my heels, causing Mario to almost bump into me. I put my hands on his shoulders and tilted my head so my eyes were level with his. A look of bemusement covered his face, an expression I was becoming quite used to. He never questioned me; he just looked at me in anticipation.

I leaned forward and pressed my lips against his nose, giving it a gentle kiss.

"Thank you, Mario."


	2. Chapter 2

** Very special thanks to Verran, Nene, KoopaKrazy85, YesNoMaybeIDK, ThatNintendoFangirl, Abrams Generation Trekkie and Casamora for your words of encouragement on the last chapter! *Hugs you all*. I'm afriad this chapter isn't really action-based like the last but if you don't mind that then who am I to complain? So, here it is! Chapter 2!**

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><p>"Kammy! I demand your presence!" Bowser choked, trying as hard as he could do lift his arms to point towards the door.<p>

"Yes your fierceness?" Kammy Magikoopa, Bowser's most loyal right-hand coot, tumbled through the open doors on her broom, which sputtered fog in its struggle to stay airborne underneath her. "Lord Bowser, you really mustn't try to shout so..."

"I DON'T CARE!" Kammy was hurled backwards by the sudden outburst. She decided it was pointless to argue with him, or even to pick herself up from the floor.

Bowser groaned as he tried to sit, much to the frustration of the Koopatrol who was attending to his burns.

"How could this happen to me! I had the guy in the bag!" he flinched again when a wet cloth met his scalded arm. "Get off me!" he howled. The Koopatrol anxiously bowed and scurried towards the exit carrying the bowl and cloth. Bowser turned his head towards Kammy and rested it on his arm. "Tell me who that pathetic little guy was! I'll make him regret the day he ever set foot in my castle!"

Kammy separated her hands and a thick book appeared in a cloud of smoke between them. She hastily began flicking through the pages, looking for a match. She frowned and turned several pages back and forth. "Your wickedness, it appears he is not a resident of the Mushroom Kingdom."

"_What_! Gimme that!" he roared, snatching it out of her hands. Bowser skimmed through the pages, grumbling to himself. It hadn't been five seconds before he threw it abruptly over his shoulder, forcing Kammy to chase it to the corner of his bedroom and begin dusting it off.

"I can't believe I have to put up with this incompetence!"

"Yes...your...your foulness. I will look further into the matter!" The old Magikoopa then scrambled back onto her broomstick and whizzed out of the door, closing it behind her with the broom's wake.

**-oOo-**

As we approached the town centre I realised why Mario had begun to hold back. Great numbers of toads had congregated in a muddled panic, still unaware of our arrival but with a strong aura of expectation about them.

"You can make your own way from here if you like princess- it looks like you have a lot on your hands," he uttered, while creeping his way back up the hill. I doubted he had ever done this before. Luckily I had, on rare occasion.

"Don't worry about them," I smiled, "this castle of mine does so happen to have a back door."

"But I..."

"Don't you want to come inside for some tea?"

"I don't drink tea."

I had to withhold myself a little at his response

"How about cake?" I inquired. I knew it was difficult to turn down such an offer.

"Err..." he shuffled on his feet.

I knew he wanted to decline by the grimace on his face. I sighed angrily; why was he so adamant all of a sudden? I didn't want to give up and let another one merely walk away. I'd had enough of seeing people come and go, leaving me feeling more stupid and helpless than ever.

Mario reacted with a look of guilt followed by an artificial smile and a nod. It was almost as if he was actually...nervous. That must have been the reason for his change of character. Now that I thought about it, it was hardly surprising given the fact he barely knew me. I didn't want him to feel uncomfortable.

"I promise nobody is going to bite. I think you'll like the people here."

"Of course, princess." He nodded again and his smile became a little more genuine. Feeling somewhat content, I allowed him to follow me behind the hills that were concealing us from the sight of the town's bustling civilians. I would get Toadsworth to address them later so that they wouldn't be kept in the dark about my return.

The door was much smaller than the huge double doors at the front. I often used it to get in and out of the castle without the question of my faithful steward. The old toad was much like a father to me, and his paternal instinct often lead him to be rather over-protective. I hoped that he wouldn't have been worried sick, but that was very wishful thinking.

The door lead through to a spiralling stone staircase which I began to climb, trusting that Mario was following behind. I continued to ascend towards the castle hallway when I realised suddenly that I hadn't been able to detect any footsteps apart from my own for a while. I turned my head to find an empty stairway behind me.

Boy was he slow.

I decided to wait awhile for him to catch up, but still after a few minutes, not a sound could be heard. Rolling my eyes, I retraced my steps. "Mario? Are you coming?" I waited for a reply. The silence stretched on and I picked up my pace. As I neared the bottom, a faint murmuring came into my earshot. I opened the door and peered back out into the garden. There, standing uneasily outside the entrance, I found him, in the company of the person I least wanted to find...Toadsworth.

It was too late. Mario looked terrified as I emerged from behind the door. The Toad's attention promptly turned to me. It looked as if he had already finished with Mario as he proceeded in my direction.

"Your highness! In dire times such as these I do not expect you to come home after all this time, towing this preposterous excuse for a gentleman behind you!"

He'd given Mario the perfect reason to call me a liar and head straight home. I knew everything would take a fair amount of explaining for both him and Toadsworth, so I attempted to nullify the situation.

"Please Toadsworth! I am not _towing_ him!" To be fair, he wasn't that willing to come in the first place, but that wasn't the point. "I invited him to the castle after he _rescued_ me. I know you'd been waiting for that to happen for days!"

His expression changed to a look of disbelief and he hobbled back to where Mario was standing. Toadsworth eyed him up and down. "This..." he lifted his cane and prodded it into Mario's stomach, prompting a quiet yelp from the man in question, "...chump rescued you?"

"Yes!" I cried, "And if you had actually let him speak without jumping to conclusions then you may have been able to avoid scaring the poor man to death!"

There was a moment of silence whilst Toadsworth stepped away from Mario and began to compose himself.

"Well my dear, one can never be too careful!" he piped. "Come inside...err..."

"Mario."

"Right..." the Toad continued. "Come inside Mario, I'll have Tayce T. make you something!" Mario was finally allowed to go through the door as Toadsworth hastened him up the stairs. I followed slowly after, breathing a sigh of relief.

Once I had reached the great foyer, Toadsworth had already given Mario a brisk handshake and scurried off to find the servants, leaving him on his own. The resonant sound of his footsteps had just faded as I stepped into the room. Mario's gaze swept anxiously about. He was looking for me. I was about to make my presence clear, but was seized by a sudden impulse, and retreated back behind the room's vast door.

Mario remained standing on the spot for some time. After looking at the ceiling for a few minutes, it eventually dawned on him that Toadsworth wasn't going to come back for a while.

He rocked on his feet before swivelling round to face the wall behind him. Curiosity hit him at the sight, and rightly so. I had collected various reminders of the people who had come here after rescuing me time and time again and displayed them on a stack of shelves against it.

All kinds of weird and wonderful species had come and gone, though never had another human set foot in Bowser's castle. All of them had returned to their home land and I never saw them again. For this reason, I would usually take something that belonged to them, something small to display. It wasn't stealing as such; I was simply collecting a harmless souvenir.

I continued to watch him as he tried to work out what their meanings were, carefully picking out and studying each item from the enigmatic selection. Little did he know that whilst his attention was diverted, I was devising a plan to add to that very shelf something from his own possession.

However, any inkling of an idea as to how I would go about this was foiled by the sound of Toadsworth approaching once more. In a deft, panicked movement, Mario placed back on the shelf an odd looking parrot statue and turned back around just in the nick of time. The toad came thundering into the room at an alarming pace.

"Come along now! I don't want that tea to be cold by the time we get to the sitting room!" he called to the poor servant behind him, who was desperately trying to keep up with a bulky cart full of cakes, biscuits and various pieces of porcelain crockery.

Mario could only watch in awe. He started to turn, but Toadsworth had other ideas. He raised his cane and drove it straight into Mario's back. "Ahhoo!" Mario flinched in discomfort, hopping forward several steps to stop himself from falling flat on his face. Toadsworth continued to shunt him into the sitting room. A final prod sent him stumbling through the doorway and into a nearby chair. "Find a seat Mario... Oh ho, it seems as if you have already found one!" he said with a taunting gleam in his eye. Mario stared nervously back.

I felt guilty for not jumping to Mario's defense as I started across the great foyer after them. Toadsworth lurched forward in his seat when I entered the room. I stopped in my tracks.

"Your highness, where on earth have you been?"

"I was just…"

"No matter! You must sit down at once!" he interrupted.

I was met with Mario's glare as I lowered myself into the chair opposite to his. I tried to look apologetic, but his eyes were averted as Toadsworth interrupted again. "Mario, you must tell me, are you married?" Trust him to pick such a question as his first.

Mario sank back in his seat, intimidated no doubt by the prying nature of the inquiry. After a moment of hesitance, he replied. "Yes...yes I am."

That was the last thing I had expected to hear. I turned my eyes to the table in front of me but he continued to glance at me through the corner of his eye, almost as if he was trying to hint something.

"Well that's wonderful! She must be a lovely girl!"

Mario smiled, "She is…"

"Oh..well…" Toadsworth cleared his throat. "Have you any children?"

"I have…two girls."

I felt a bit confused at this point. What would prompt a married man to leave his wife and children to go and rescue another woman?

"They must come and visit some time! We would be delighted to meet your family, wouldn't we princess?"

I continued to stare at the table.

"Princess!"

I jolted from my daze. "Yes! Delightful!" There was an awkward stillness; the only reply was a look of bafflement from my steward. "Sorry, yes, I would be thrilled to meet her… and the children." I beamed and straightened my dress in an attempt to dismiss the confusion in the air.

Toadsworth looked a little bewildered, but continued regardless. "Well, I have an excellent idea. We will arrange a meeting!"

Mario tensed. "That won't be necessary. I'll be leaving in the morning."

Something about the way he said that, with such nonchalance, struck a chord inside me.

"I doubt you even know how to get out," I remarked somewhat pointedly.

"He could use a warp pipe!" replied Toadsworth. I glowered at him.

"Warp pipe?"

"Mario, there is no other way into the Mushroom Kingdom, you must have used one." Toadsworth informed him.

"You mean those giant green things? I came through one of them after I fell down a drain. They're crazy!"

I laughed. "You fell…down a drain?"

"Well it was more complicated than that." He looked at his feet. "My brother and I live in Brooklyn, as plumbers."

"Plumbers?" I asked.

"It was the only way we could make money."

"No. That's great… we've been having a few pipe problems lately." Perhaps now I could make him stay longer.

Toadsworth stood. "Not that the subject of the castle's plumbing doesn't intrigue me, but I must accompany Dayne. T in returning the tea cart." We all looked at it. The stunning array of delicacies on offer sat there still, untouched. Dayne. T, exhausted by the strenuous journey up here, watched us now with a look of pure resentment.

Eager to repair the poor toad's dented morale, Mario leaned forward to take a cake from the cart. However, this was promptly whisked from his reach by Toadsworth.

He shoved it back into Dayne. T's grasp and ushered the servant towards the door. "Come _along_ now Dayne. T! We've already spoken about this. You need to learn to pick up the pace before I dock your wages entirely!"

We watched in helpless sympathy as both toads left the room. Once their footsteps vanished from earshot, we turned slowly to face each other. I felt strangely uncomfortable without my steward, whereas Mario seemed to emit a wave of relief.

"I think that cane and I are destined to become mortal enemies," he chuckled while rubbing his back. I smiled, but something else was on my mind,

"About the castle pipes, can you take a look at them?"

He grinned. "Of course. Luigi and I have been doing stuff like that most of our lives."

I took this opportunity to ask a burning question. "What about your wife? Won't she miss you?"

"I...err…no…she'll be…fine..."

"Mario…"

He looked down.

"What?"

All of a sudden, he sprang from his seat with his arms flung out in exasperation. "I don't have a wife! I don't even have any children! It was Toadsworth...he kept telling me, whilst you weren't there...that he had ways of finding about things. And the things he didn't approve of...and..."

I burst out laughing. "Oh Mario don't be silly, I can't believe you let the old man get to you!"

"I just...I just don't think he likes me."

I leaned forward. "He's always taken care of me, and the fact that you've come here is a massive change for him. He says these things to try to keep me safe. Sometimes it can be really unhelpful but he means no harm. Please don't worry about him."

Mario nodded slowly. "As long as he won't hold anything against me...maybe Luigi and I will stay a little longer."

I never imagined Toadsworth to be the reason that everybody had wanted to leave. He must have been fiercer than he looked.

However, I was still curious about this Luigi he kept talking about. "Who is he, by the way?" I asked.

"Luigi?" He's my younger brother."

"You have a brother?"

"A twin brother at that. I don't go many places without him. You would have probably seen him today if he hadn't chickened out at the last castle."

"That's a shame." I sighed, secretly wondering if that was the real reason that I hadn't seen his brother.

"Actually, it's getting dark," Mario said, his eyes turned to the window. "I think he'll be wondering where I am."

"My guards will let you out. It was nice of you to come here." I said with a hint of disappointment, I hadn't been able to spend much time speaking to him all.

"My pleasure." He bowed and backed towards the front door. I couldn't help but giggle again.

"And I want to see your brother next time I get kidnapped!" I called after him as the guards opened the heavy doors.

Mario laughed nervously, not sure how to answer.

"Actually, why don't you two drop by the castle tomorrow?"

"Sounds like a plan. I guess I'll see you then."

With a tip of his hat, the guards closed the gates behind him and he disappeared into the darkness. I remained standing there. Even though he had gone, a strange fascination kept me on the spot. For once in my life, I had no idea what the morning would bring.

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><p><strong>Poor Dayne.T and her rejected cakes :(. I made her up by the way, but I may have heard her name somewhere...Anyway! In the next chapter, we meet Mario's beloved younger twin brother, Luigi (and hopefully Daisy not too long afterwards!) The fact that the bros are twins is debatable but that seems to be the most widely known fact so that's what I've gone with. This will probably be updated around every fortnight but I'll try to get them up earlier if I can. I'm not too sure about this chapter but tell me what you guys think! That's more important :D.<br>**


	3. Chapter 3

**Before I begin, yes, I definitely owe an apology for the lateness of this. I guess work took up more time than I imagined. Thank you again to all who reviewed the last chapter! I really enjoyed, as always, reading what you had to say about it. Without further ado, here is chapter 3!**

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><p>The intense glow from the numbers on my clock seeped in through my eyelids. Resisting the urge to fully open them, I rolled over onto the other side of my bed so the time was not in view. I had been monitoring it for the entire night and it seemed like an hour had passed before the minute flicked to the next number. I was amazed to find myself meeting with the glare of a second clock, found on the right hand side of my bed. Why Toadsworth had deemed it necessary to put that there I did not know. It was hopeless; I climbed out from underneath the duvet and lay horizontally on top of it. I felt as though even if there was another me lying at my feet, we would still be able to fit. The bed's size always made it feel cold and unwelcoming, but it was fit for a princess according to my father...who I never actually knew.<p>

Toadsworth had apparently been my parents' personal advisor and was left to take care of me after they went missing. It turned out that Bowser's father had taken them in the night and the next thing they knew, they were lying in the overthere. It seemed that the Mushroom Kingdom had been suffering an ongoing hate war with the darklands, a war that I had since been oblivious to, and a war that I had slowly been forced to realise still continued today. It was a shame I never got to know my parents, though perhaps their death at such an early stage in my life was for the better.

I looked at the clock again. Only three minutes had passed. It was getting close to two o' clock in the morning and I wasn't going to get sleep any time soon. I leapt up and walked over to my balcony doors. Pushing the panes of glass open, I stepped out, wrapping my arms around my shoulders as I stepped into a the frozen night air. It was almost silent; the only thing I could hear was the soft chirping of crickets. The light from my castle cast onto the entirety of Toad Town which lay below it, the streets devoid of life.

I longed to go down there and walk the peaceful paths all night, to see how it had changed from the bustling daytime. The urge kept growing stronger the longer I stood there. It would be far better than lying sleeplessly in bed all night.

Throwing caution to the wind, I ran back into my room and took my parasol that was leaning against the wall. Since the incident at Bowser's castle, I realised how much I missed using it to take those rash, unprecented jumps. On my way back towards the balcony, I threw my shawl over my shoulders. The feeling that had seized me as Mario prepared to leap across the lava rushed back to me as I climbed onto the railings. I gripped my parasol tightly and jumped without a thought, letting it do the rest.

The glorious sensation of weightlessness returned as the air rushed past my toes. I continued to drift across the garden until my feet grew near enough to the ground. At that point I let myself drop onto the soft grass and I made my way on foot to the front gate to find myself creeping past the sleeping toads who had supposedly been 'on guard.'

I noticed just how strange it was when nobody was around. Every time I tried to walk into the town centre, it would take me forty minutes to get there due to the sheer amount of people who would stop and talk. I sauntered down to the same place in just under two minutes and I carried on round the lone fountain in the middle. No-one was throwing coins in, the market stalls stood solemnly with their stock indoors and only a few dim lights shone from houses in the distance.

In amongst the brightness, I was curious to find something blocking a fraction of it, a faint silhouette. The lone figure appeared to sway slightly, not with the breeze, but by its own accord. Feeling inquisitive, I approached it with caution, softening my footsteps as I grew nearer. However, he or she didn't seem to move away, they were facing with their back towards me and their head was tilted upwards towards the branches of a tree. I followed their gaze but there was nothing but dead leaves clinging onto the branches by a thread,

"Excuse me," I whispered, in the hope I might find out who it was. The figure flinched violently as if my words had cut them and bolted up the hill. I picked my gown off the floor and hurried after the strange person, but I had to swerve out of the way as they stopped on a sudden and crouched to the ground. I stared on in confusion. They seemed almost possessed.

I tried to move closer again, deciding it was best not to say anything this time. I was desperate to get a closer look. However, they were completely unresponsive to my movements, so I drew closer. That was when they began to mutter something, stopping me in my tracks.

"Hmm no...this..." It was a man's voice. He picked a blade of grass from the hill. "This won't do." Perhaps he was looking for something. It was so difficult to see his face in the dark as he looked down, picking and discarding several pieces of grass.

My face was inches from his head and he still hadn't noticed me. I wondered if he was actually...awake. All of a sudden his head shot up, making me jump out if my skin to the point where I let out a small scream, and his response was exactly the same as mine. We both fell backwards in shock and I only regained my footing in time to find him tumbling down the hill. I tried to run after him but it was too late as he ploughed head-on into a bush. A flock of birds shot up, flapping in wildly from the scene of the crash, before all fell silent again.

The trees around us were motionless. The leaves lay still. The braches hung there, untouched. Remaining as quiet as possible, I crept forward and made an attempt to reach out for him.

"Ow..."

I pulled my hand back.

"Is..err...someone out there?" came the same weak voice from inside.

I almost felt a sense of relief, it seemed whoever had fallen in there wasn't ready to make a run for it any time soon. I cautiously probed my arm into the shrub, all I could feel was the uncomfortable sensation of twigs sticking into my skin. I wondered if he had somehow managed to crawl out of the other side and left me looking like I'd lost my sanity, sticking my hand into an empty plant. Near certain that there was nothing to be found, I retracted my arm only to have it violently pulled back. He sure was good at hiding. Now that I was certain I had the right person, I shifted all of my weight backwards. From then on it was a stream of pained exclamations coming from the end of my arm until I saw him emerge. I let go and moved out of the way as he rolled onto the hill, smeared in mud.

He sat up, looking bemused. "Oh boy, I've done it again."

I noticed a familiar accent in his voice. "Are you alright?"

"Did you pull me out?" he asked.

"Yes, you had quite a trip down that hill," I said whilst he began to pick twigs out of his hair.

"I guess I have the bush to thank for waking me up."

The light caught his face as he stood up. Though I was taken by surprise, it occured to me that it would have been strange to expect anyone else.

"Mario!"

He was taller than I had remembered and he stood with his shoulders pulled backwards and his hands clasped, as if he was freezing cold. I didn't blame him, he was wearing a shirt that barely covered his arms and he certainly wasn't expecting to be outside in the middle of the night.

He sighed as if I had somehow upset him. "Sorry to disappoint you, signora..."

I hesitated. "Excuse me?"

"I guess it's easy to mix us up, but I'm afraid you're not talking to Mario," he added.

"Oh I'm-"

"No need to apologise. I get it a lot."

I could detect his efforts to prevent my guilt from rising, but his solemn tone only served to add to it.

"It's pretty dark now so I don't mind going back with you, I know this place quite well," I interrupted, before he could move.

"Oh there's is no need to worry about me!" he chuckled nervously. "I'm staying in a hotel just to the east of here, we only arrived yesterday," he scuffed his feet, "heh...I think I walked a long way."

"I remember waking up on the roof of my castle once. It took all of the kingdom's guards to get me down," I laughed.

He smiled for a few seconds at the story before his face dropped. "Wait...castle? Guards?"

I pointed towards the gigantic pink castle that was illuminating the town. "That's mine," I whispered.

"So you're...Ohhh boy...you're the princess? And I'm h-here in my pyjamas and you saw me sleepwalking and my pyjamas...they're not even my nice ones."

"There's no need to feel so uneasy..."

"I was probably doing something stupid wasn't I?" he stuttered.

I opened my mouth to speak but he carried on, looking up in terror. "Oh! I was supposed to meet you tomorrow! How embarrassing!" He buried his face into his hands.

I frowned. Another downside of being a princess was that everyone felt that I would have such high expectations of them; that they had to act perfectly and politely in front of me. Nobody was ever _themselves. _

A few seconds passed while he continually muttered to himself. Apart from Mario, I hadn't scheduled anyone to meet me tomorrow...unless...

I watched him while he finally gathered himself and sat on the edge of the fountain, taking obvious note that I hadn't been paying much attention to him. "I'm sorry your highness...I just..."

"Oh please, call me Peach." I smiled, trying to ease his embarrassment.

He grinned. "And you can call me Luigi."

It seemed as if my predictions were right. Perhaps I would've known if I had been able to see properly. I guessed I still felt bad for mistaking him for his brother.

"So you're Luigi? Meeting you at this hour wasn't quite what we had arranged!"

"No well, it's not every day you see a princess walking around in the early hours of the morning."

I was hoping he wouldn't pick up on that, but that was probably pushing my luck. He turned away from me, apparently something else was on his mind. "I think we're gonna be stuck here for a while," he sighed, "We don't even know how we got here or how to get out. I could sure get used to this sky though."

I remembered my conversation with Mario back at the castle. "Mario said something about Brooklyn, is that where you came from?"

"Yep, we didn't have such a great life though; we were always short on money. In fact, just recently, we were evicted from our apartment." Luigi swallowed, his voice wavering.

"Well you're very welcome to stay here for as long as you like, you know that don't you?"

"Thank you your high...Peach. I just wish we could live like we used to..." He hesitated before lifting his head back up. "Sorry, I'm going off the subject. Mario says I always do that."

I shook my head dismissively. "Tell me, that accent you and your brother have, where is it from?"

He narrowed his eyes and the corner of his mouth turned upwards. "I've never heard of anyone who didn't recognise an Italian accent."

"Italian? Is that the language you use in Brooklyn?"

Luigi almost fell into the water laughing; now it was my turn to feel stupid.

"We tend to speak _Italian_ in _Italy,_ princess!" he breathed. I'd never heard of any of these places, they certainly weren't on our map. It took a while for it to dawn on him that I had no idea what he was talking about. "Oh, right, sorry. I don't know much about your world either so...I guess that's fair." He appeared rather shamefaced about his reaction, but at least my mistake had uplifted him.

"No harm done..."

An striking warmth had dispersed the previous chill of the night air, and I wasn't the only one who had sensed it. Luigi span around. It continued to creep upwards with growing intensity as he stared into the distance.

"Would you look at that?" he stared in awe, "I've never seen a sunrise like that before."

As beautiful a sunrise as it was, it was the last thing I wanted to see.

"Peach, wait!" he shouted as I started up the hill, confused at my reaction.

I hadn't noticed the time. If I wasn't at the castle, the whole kingdom would suspect another kidnapping.

He followed me as I sprinted back towards the castle. "Why are you in such a hurry?"

"Everyone will go crazy if they see me out here!" I gasped as he ran up behind me.

There was a glint in the windows as the sun rose further. We stopped at the balcony and I looked round at the door. I could go through but there was the risk of being seen; I looked back at the balcony but there wasn't a way of getting back up.

Luigi's footsteps slowed from behind. A thought struck me."Luigi?"

"Yes?"

"I noticed that your brother can jump pretty high...can you do the same?" My idea was insane, but I had no choice.

"The same? Pfft, I can go higher!" he laughed to himself.

"Perfect!"

He stopped. "Wait, what are you trying to pull here? What are you doing?" he cried as I climbed onto his back the same way I had done with Mario.

"Can you get me up there?" I asked.

"Wait a minute, I...I...don't know if I can-"

"Come on Luigi!" I interrupted. "Please? You'll be doing me a massive favour."

He thought about it for a moment, but time was running out. The shadow over the garden was shrinking quickly.

"Go!" I yelled.

He stepped backwards. "Okay hold on, three, two, one..."

He leapt into the air, propelling us up at a startling pace towards the balcony railings. I reached out to grab them, but my fingers fell narrowly short. "Can't you go any higher?"

"If you want higher, then you'll get higher!" he grumbled as we fell back down. His feet hit the ground again, but this time he stooped so low I thought I'd topple off his back. Instead my stomach lurched as he made his second attempt. As we neared the top of our ascent, I threw an arm out to catch the railings, only to find myself shooting above them.

"Too high!" I squealed, beginning to panic as I saw the balcony go off into the distance.

Luigi flailed his arms in the air in some attempt to stop himself from going any higher. Unfortunately, there was only one way to go- down. I frantically tried to reach for my parasol as he screamed, watching the balcony surge up towards us. It was too late.

"OOF!" The wooden planks resounded with a crash as Luigi slammed down upon them. I joined him shortly afterwards. He wailed again when I collided with his back. There I lay dazed, tingling with adrenaline, but thankfully uninjured.

I had to crane my neck to get a glimpse through my balcony doors. I could just make out through the amber haze on the glass that door on the other side to my room was still shut, a promising sign.

A whimper arose from beneath me. I sprang up to find Luigi lying flat on his face. I gapsed and lurched forward to help him up.

"Sorry!"

"That's OK. Luigi will live to...to fight another day!" he muttered hazily, gesturing towards the balcony doors. "You better hurry before...whoever it is...finds out you were gone."

Skipping into my room, I fell onto my bed. "Thank you. Without your help I could've been caught." I said while burying myself back under the duvet.

Luigi stood outside and rubbed the back of his head humbly. "You're welcome, Peach. Also can we pretend this never happened? I know my bro will probably tease me about it." He winced as his hand went past a sore spot on his head.

I giggled. "Well you better get back to the hotel then or Mario will think you were up to something!"

He stepped back, and cringed in pain suddenly. "Hahhh!"

"Oh and sorry about that..." I winced, even more guilty for being the cause of his injured back.

He shook it off. "It was nice to meet you. my bro wasn't lying about you, you know."

With that, he closed the doors with nervous care and clambered painfully over the edge of the balcony before I could ask him what he was talking about. But my curiosity was dampened under a sudden wave of exhaustion, and the thought was dismissed as my eyes drifted shut.

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><p><strong>Oh Luigi, things just never seem to go your way! I did enjoy writing this chapter even if it took me a long time. I really hope it was at least partly worth the wait. I probably shouldn't promise a time for my next update but it will happen as I've got too many ideas to stop. I will get chapter 4 out as soon as I can, that I can promise. As always guys, please let me know your thoughts!<br>**


	4. Chapter 4

**Soo...I was going to finish this a long time ago, before I deleted the entire chapter that I had written and started over because I couldn't even look at it, messing up the storyline I had planned just a _teeny_ bit. So no, I haven't given up! I just have to re-organise things a little. I don't know why I finished this during my final exam period but I just had to. As always, thank you for your feedback on the last chapter!**

**Speaking of which, in the last chapter, Luigi utterly embarrassed himself (standard, really) and also gained a few injuries while trying to help Peach return to her room. So on with the next one!**

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><p>Mario's patience was reaching the end of its tether. He constantly remained a distance ahead of his brother; enough so that Luigi's whine-accompanied footsteps were just within his tolerance range.<p>

"He-elp! I'm gonna fall over!"

"It's your fault, Luigi, nobody goes for a midnight snack without a flashlight; nobody!"

"I...I wasn't..." Luigi sighed; deciding that Mario was most likely giving him the benefit of the doubt. It wasn't at all uncommon for Mario to satisfy his love of food no matter what time of the day. So, after careful consideration on Luigi's part, it seemed like the most acceptable excuse for him to make.

"Besides, it will help you burn off those extra calories from last night."

"Maybe you should've twisted your ankle then..." Luigi muttered.

"I heard that!"

Luigi snickered to himself, annoying his brother was a great time killer. "Are we there yet?"

"Not at your pace."

"Carry me then!"

"No Luigi, I'm not going to carry you."

"Okay, I'll just walk at this pathetically slow pace!"

"Fine, I'll carry you, but you've got to catch up with me first!

"Hey!" Luigi called after his brother and desperately threw his whole body forward on one leg as he tried to speed up, teetering with each hop.

Luigi's momentous hopping rampage was short lived, however, as he was bought to an abrupt halt by an unexpected collision straight into Mario's back.

"Good morning Mario!" Luigi heard a familiar muffled voice come from in front of the large obstacle. "And..." Mario stepped aside to allow me to see who had fallen behind him. "Ah! You must be Luigi!"

Toadsworth quickly ushered me to bend down to his height and he muttered in my ear. "My dear, I thought Mario said he had a _wife_ and children. Not to fear though, I'm not a judgemental man!"

"What are you talk-"

Toadsworth stepped forward to shake Luigi's hand, who was still stuck on his backside behind Mario. "I must say, your partner's matching get-up is really something quite charming, isn't that right princess?"

My mouth snapped open but comprehensible words refused to come out.

"So where are the beautiful girls? You adopted I assume?"

I tried to cut him off before any more damage was done, but it was in vain.

"...You know if you ever want more there are plenty of little Toad orphans looking for a home to get some diversity into your family! Ho ho!"

Luigi finally stood up after allowing Toadsworth's ramblings to sink in. "Eh? Bro, what's he talking about?

Mario put his hand up. "Toadsworth, Luigi and I aren't..."

"...You're not? Oh I'm so terribly sorry! Things don't always work out, there are plenty more fish in the sea don't you worry! We have a councillor if you need any..."

"No! Toadsworth! They're _brothers!_" I exclaimed.

Silence fell over the old Toad like death was upon him.

Mario looked close to tears. Luigi shuffled around uncomfortably while playing with a small speck of gravel on the pathway with his foot, but was foiled when it bounced into Mario's shoe and lay lifelessly out of his reach.

After a moment of awkward reflection, Mario strode over to Luigi and allowed his injured brother to put his arm over his shoulders. Toadsworth's mouth drew into a thin line and he averted his eyes, as if he was still struggling to shake his false beliefs. They shuffled carefully to get into a comfortable position and then both looked over at me expectantly.

"Yes, of course you want to see the castle. Follow me!" I bounced forward, making sure that the brothers were able to keep up. Toadsworth furrowed his brow and slowly began to make a move, lagging a fair distance behind.

Murmurs passed between the colourful residents as we moved by, many of them interrupting their daily routines to peer at the sight of our unusual motley band. Stifled giggles erupted from the queues outside the morning market shops as heads turned to look our way. I noticed Luigi pick up speed all of a sudden, forcing Mario to do the same in order to maintain support. There was an uneasy aura about the Town, even though nobody was undignified enough to state the elephant in the room, it was undeniably there.

As we approached the castle gate, I glanced back. Oddly, I was unsurprised to find that I had been left alone again. Mario and Luigi were a couple of hundred meters back, Toadsworth near them, waving his cane around as usual. Upon closer inspection, he didn't appear to be directing his rants at the brothers, but down at a particularly short, energetic toad child.

"Discontinue this heckling at once, my boy, or I'll summon the royal guards!"

The boy's squeal was drowned in a low rumble of oncoming voices. Hundreds of white, spotted mushroom tops emerged from the depths of town, all gathering towards the location of the voice. Toadsworth's cane rose higher into the air and he raised his voice above the growing mob.

"Halt I say! CEASE! DESIST! HAAAAA-MFFF!" The tip of his cane was submerged in a throng of people, before being promptly discarded at the other side along with its owner, who toppled onto the gravel in a shell-shocked heap.

I lifted my dress off the ground and made my way back as quickly as I could. The toads at the back looked round and tried to shuffle out of the way as I drew near, frantically tapping the shoulder of the Toad in front who repeated the same action, slowly clearing a way to the centre. A bright red cap emerged from the top, followed by an arm giving a struggled wave in my direction. Luigi was nowhere to be seen.

"Mario!"

"Princess, over here!"

I made a final push through the sea of toads, stumbling as I reached an unexpected clearing.

"Whoa-"Mario lunged forward, grabbing my forearms before I hit the ground. I looked up to give him a thankful smile.

"Stop! Leave me alone! Maaario!"

Luigi. Mario jolted at the cry, and I slipped free of his grip, gazing around frantically to pick out the direction his brother's voice had come from.

The toads had surrounded Luigi at the edge of the clearing. He trembled where he was crouching; occasionally lifting an arm to swat at the toads as though they were flies. "D-d-don't take the green one! If you want meat, take the red one!"

"Quiet please!" I cried, only to find that I couldn't even hear my own voice. I sighed, drew in the deepest breath I could manage, and tried again. "QUIEEEEEET!"

A perfect echo of my voice returned, unhindered by a single sound. Hundreds of pairs of tiny eyes bore into mine, along with Luigi's partially confused, partially relieved gaze.

I took some time to allow my thoughts to gather in the silence, also allowing Mario to recover some of his hearing. The first question in my mind was an obvious one.

"Can someone please tell me what on earth you're all doing up here?"

An uproar consumed the short-lived peace; some Toads even began arguing with each other and pushing to get to the front to give their answer, despite the fact I couldn't hear what any of them were saying.

"One at a time, please!" I pointed to someone who had been pushed over as they tried to get to the front. "Can you tell me why you've caused so much disturbance?"

"Forgive our vulgarity your highness, we're merely curious."

"Get to the point!" came an intrusive holler from the back.

"Well...yes...you see my son here." The toad twisted around, bringing a smaller toad to his side. "He saw you walking behind the hills yesterday while playing...and...We thought you were still imprisoned in Bowser's castle so we...er...wanted to welcome you back I suppose."

Before I could speak his son stepped forward in spite of the powerful glare received from his father, smiling from ear to ear. "I saw that funny short man over there too, miss Toadstool. Is that Santa?"

A snort arose from Luigi's vicinity, followed by a shout from another anonymous member of the crowd.

"Santa don't walk froo town durin' da day you dope! Especially wiv da princess as some squeeze-"

"Exactly, besides, where's the white beard? C'mon!"

The whole assembly mumbled amongst themselves in agreement, seemingly offended by the thoughts of the child, who pouted in response and receded back behind his father.

I sighed in exasperation. "Please, let's try not to digress too much."

"Your highness, if I may..." the child's father spoke up again.

"...It's alright, I understand your confusion. Toadsworth was going to address you all this afternoon in a more...dignified manner. But since you're all here now, I'll suppose I should explain myself."

The silence that followed was almost deathly.

"In the late hours of yesterday afternoon, I finally returned home after a week of captivity. I am truly sorry for my absence yet again, I'm fully aware that this continuing problem is beginning to get out of hand..."

"Why is Santa here then?" piped the child.

"Shut it, kid!" came the same rude voice from before.

"This man is _Mario_..." I added. "And if you hadn't already guessed, I wouldn't be standing here today without his help."

The hundreds of mushroom heads twisted to face the subject of discussion, blinking their beady eyes in unison. Mario's attention snapped from the ground to his new audience, and he raised an arm to give a small wave. Then the flood gates opened.

I was almost swept off my feet for the second time. Luigi retreated back to his squat position, wailing for mercy under the small yet painful stampede of Toad feet thundering towards his brother.

Mario leapt around uneasily as mushrooms came at him from every direction, some of them courteously shaking his hand in appreciation and others scrambling over each other to scrutinise the new arrival.

"Is that a real moustache?"

"The humans are multiplying!"

"You look like a man who'd love my pastries!"

"You met the King of Koopas? Do you need medical attention? I'm a doctor!"

A voice arose from beside me. I looked down to see the child's mother standing there, studying Mario with a wince. "Are you sure princess? He looks a little...eh..."

"Different?"

"...well he's wearing overalls for star-spirit's sake!"

I couldn't help but grin in amusement. "I'm just as curious as you are, but I can't deny that he saved me. Anyone would be grateful for that," I said, watching the swarm from a distance.

She crossed her arms and leaned back. "I suppose anyone would try their hand for that massive pile of coins! Don't worry; he'll be off like the rest of them once he's got his hands on them."

Toadsworth's reward posters! How could I forget those sought-after pieces of weathered paper flying into my face every time I returned to the Mushroom Kingdom? They were only the very drive behind my continuing safety.

"First human in a while though eh...Your highness?"

Her continuing drivel merely passed through my head, unprocessed as my mind began to consider the implications of what her previous words had drawn to mind. Reward posters. Were those what Mario had in mind when he rescued me? But I hadn't time to consider it further before I noticed a certain seething Toadsworth scuttling his way towards Mario at a startling pace.

"That's quite enough of that!" He waved his cane at the toads surrounding him, almost delivering a sound battering to number of them in the process. "Such indecorous behaviour! Let the man speak!"

"And where's the may-" His head whipped around. "Mayor!"

The mayor had proudly secured Luigi's green cap upon his head and was talking animatedly to its owner, while seemingly showing him some family photos in the hope that Luigi would somehow take great interest in his life. The tall man simply nodded politely at every Polaroid thrust into his possession, giving them back at the earliest opportunity.

Toadsworth sighed and began to inadvertently brush dirt off Mario's overalls. "Not doing his job properly as usual, I'm terribly sorry old boy; our Town is normally so peaceful...well, except when Bowser comes of course. You can't imagine the chaos then!

Mario stepped back and finished the job that Toadsworth had started himself. "Does he come often? Bowser-I mean, that's his name?"

"Yes that's the one who took our princess! He springs back up at alarming rates; I tell you! We've yet to get rid of him for good. I sometimes wonder what his secret is..."

"But he fell into the lava...he's dead..."

"Aha! That's where you're wrong! The old steward pointed a finger up to his face as if he'd done it a thousand times before. "That's what they all think..."

"Think wha-?"

The old Toad drove his cane skywards. "PAH! I SPIT IN THEIR FACES!"

Mario leapt backwards as a gob of saliva literally shot in his direction. After a moment of stunned (and slightly horrified) silence, the toad cleared his throat, and seemed in a matter of seconds to simmer back into his composed demeanour again.

"Oh yes, I quite forgot, your reward is waiting back at the castle. Wait here while I fetch it for you." He turned to leave when Mario stopped him in his tracks.

"Wait-y-you can find a way to get Luigi and I back home?"

"At what point did I say that!" Toadsworth chortled.

"You said you'd get my reward for saving the Princess, that's what it is, right? That's what those mushrooms told me... if I rescued the princess, they'd tell me the way..." Mario's voice trailed off as he watched Toadsworth's stare increase in vacancy.

"My dear boy, it clearly says on the _posters_, which I take it you read, that the reward is ten thousand coins, not a one-way ticket to some confounding...planet. He waved his small hand in the air dismissively

Mario placed his palm firmly into his forehead, grasping a tuft of hair from underneath his cap. "But they said they knew..."

"Look, it's coins or naught, your decision."

I watched the scene with bewilderment. It seemed an impossibility that Mario had not seen the posters. He'd either caught himself in some sort of delusion, or he'd been purposely misled. Either way, I wasn't about to let the issue stand still.

"I'm so sorry, Mario, that's all we can offer along with the promise that we will do everything in our power to help," I interjected, although inwardly unsure of exactly how I felt about this revelation. Part of me was glad Mario hadn't been in it for the money, but another part of me was unsettled. Did he really want to leave so soon? Why?

Toadsworth hesitated before reluctantly nodding. "That's all well and good, your highness but what are they going to do in the meantime? They can't just loiter around!"

A group of Toads, who had been standing near us, stopped chattering and turned towards me. A smile grew across the face of one of them and he turned back, mumbling to the rest of the group. He then walked over to Toadsworth who was stroking his chin in thought and tapped him on the shoulder gently.

"We 'ave a proposition for dis situation 'er yours Sir."

Toadsworth flicked his hand at him to continue.

"We may be able to come to some agreement of sorts, me and my men could build your new friend and 'is brother a...form of temporary accommodation...until you important people sort out whatever it is you need. He can't keep usin' up da only room in da hotel!"

Mario grimaced at the thought, though it was the only choice he had. The thought of having to stay longer seemed to hurt him more than Luigi, who sprang over to us after hearing what the builder had to say.

"It's perfect bro! We can stay for as long as we like until we find out how to get back!"

"Dat's the idea!" the toad replied.

Now someone tell me where I can find a tourist center around here!" Luigi span on his heels and ran down the hill excitedly, apparently no longer ailed by his wounds from yesterday.

"That's simply marvellous Han. D! There isn't a catch is there?" Toadsworth added, curiously.

Han. D shook his head, smiling. "Well, dis man did our kingdom a service, so it's da least we can do."

Mario smiled weakly. "Thank you very much-Han. D. I hope we don't impose for too long."

"Think nothin' of it! But err..." he paused, tilting his head towards Toadsworth and clasping his hands together. "Dose reward coins...just for da materials see and..."

I rolled my eyes, though Mario didn't need any more information to give his answer.

"You can take them; I have no use for them."

Han. D reeled in delight. "Pleasure doin' business wiv yer! We'll pick da money up at da castle tomorrow." He shook Mario's hand vigorously and ordered his Toads to jump down the nearest warp pipe, quickly disappearing after them.

"Well I don't know about you but I think we could all use a spot of tea!" The exhausted old toad said, rubbing his palms together.

I nodded, finally satisfied. "We've still got some time for you to come over...Mario?"

Mario exhaled sharply and shook his head. "I need to find Luigi."

"I'm sure Luigi can take care of himself, he seems to be having a good time on his own."

"I...sorry...err... I've got to buy some...food..." He backed up and turned around before we could say anything else.

Toadsworth scratched his head. "Call me senile your highness, but I think I recall him giving away all of his coins just now."

I gazed after Mario with narrowed eyes as he disappeared into the bustle of the town.

"...Oh well, all the more tea for us, eh? Toadsworth chuckled and began to walk in the direction of our original intended destination, leaving me trying to decipher the uninvited sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.

* * *

><p><strong>You guys saw it coming; the Mario bros are going to have to stay a little longer after all and Mario seems to be taking it strangely differently to Luigi. Is there a reason or does he just enjoy being a spoilsport?<strong>

**I'm so sorry that this once again lacked major action and the enormous wait that came with it. Oh well, I'd love to hear what you guys think as always! I'm really going to try to get on top of this, I promise! I never thought it would get as much appreciation as it has done so far so thank you very much!**


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